Called Plates, the 30-cover Norfolk Square restaurant joins Bartley’s Hove steakhouse Carne, which recently relocated to a new, smaller location on Church Road.
Billed as being “all about relaxed eating, great drinks and food that’s made to be shared”, Plates is understood to employ several former team members from Michelin Bib Gourmand-holding Lewes restaurant Dill, which quietly closed earlier this year.
All dishes on the opening menu are priced at £10 or less. Options include paloma ceviche made with sea bass, jalapeño, tequila and mint; cod roe hash browns with caviar and dill; and pulled mutton flatbread with cucumber, feta and pomegranate.
The drinks offer focuses on cocktails made using Sussex spirits alongside an exclusively English wine list.
The Gingerman closed this summer after nearly 30 years of trading.
It was the flagship restaurant of Ben and Pamela McKellar, who remain among Brighton and Hove’s most prominent restaurateurs.
The couple attributed the closure to the rising cost of doing business and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, citing increases in business rates, food and energy costs, and taxation.